Samsung Galaxy Fold teardown: Improved but still fragile

Samsung's first-ever foldable phone, the Fold, was scheduled to launch in April, but it was scrapped after it became apparent that the phone has several defects which can cause it to break quite easily. A teardown of the device made those flaws even more apparent.

The examination of the Fold's innards shows that Samsung really did address the most important pain points of the original design. The company added an extra metal layer beneath the screen to reinforce it, closed the gaps on both sides of the "fold" as to prevent dust and debris from getting in, and extended the display-protecting layer to make it harder to peel off.

The display of the Galaxy Fold has been reinforced with a metal plate.

Image: ifixit

Unfortunately, iFixit claims that there are still spots which might be problematic, including gaps next to the phone's spine where dust and debris could get in (see below).

The new design of the Fold is better, but there are still gaps where dust and debris could get in.

Image: IFIXIT

Overall, iFixit still claims the phone is "alarmingly fragile," meaning that it's more likely to break than most phones.